Will You Look At Me

After a period in New York, young Chinese filmmaker Shuli Huang returns to his hometown of Wenzhou in search of himself. Being left without his partner, who is starting an education in Belgium, he is completely dependent on his family. A long-delayed conversation with his mother about his sexuality plunges them both into a search for acceptance and love.

The conversations are edited under images Huang shot with a Super8 camera since returning home. The city gets portrayed through fogged glasses, we see loving shots of his mother, only flashes of his father and himself as a shadow – waving at the camera but never really seen. These images all together result in an intimate and beautifully composed film. 

This short film has been part of the programme Shorts: Growing Pains at the Movies that Matter Festival 2023.